Only things these two quarterbacks do is win

Neither Tom Brady nor Jake Delhomme is Hall of Fame material.

February 02, 2004|By Larry O'Rourke Of The Morning Call

Other NFL quarterbacks have stronger arms, more mobility, better touch and, at least until this morning, more lucrative endorsement deals. Yet the New England Patriots' Tom Brady and Carolina Panthers' Jake Delhomme were the two quarterbacks playing Sunday in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

"Everybody would love to have [Hall of Fame-bound former Denver QB John] Elway," Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Dan Henning said. "He had the intangibles, and he had the tangibles. But even he didn't win a Super Bowl until [late in his] career.

"He had to have a good team around him. He didn't win it until he had a running game and defense."

But that doesn't mean Brady and Delhomme made it to Houston entirely on the merits of others.

That was hardly the case.

Brady already had a Super Bowl XXXVI championship ring for his efforts after taking over for Drew Bledsoe early in the 2001 season. He threw for 23 touchdowns during the 2003 regular-season and is one of the Patriots' leaders on and off the field.

"He was a good player two years ago, but he's got more experience," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We've asked him to do more things. He's got more command of the offense. He certainly has a better understanding and more experience working against the different defensive systems in this league."

Delhomme took over for Rodney Peete with little similar experience, having thrown just 86 passes in six previous seasons with New Orleans.

After intending to find a high-profile quarterback in free agency during the offseason, the Panthers were left answering an obvious question after signing Delhomme: Huh?

"We just believe in our owner and believe in our coaching staff, knowing they won't bring a bum in here," Panthers safety Deon Grant said during Super Bowl hype week.

But Delhomme was unable to beat out Peete in training camp, and also had competition from former Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke, who had quarterbacked Carolina through its 1-15 season back in 2001.

As was the case with Brady two years before, Delhomme got an unexpected chance to play early in the season, and quickly earned the respect of his teammates with a can-do approach. Trailing Jacksonville 14-0 when Peete exited, the Panthers fell behind 17-0 in the opener before Delhomme led them to a 24-23 victory over the Jaguars.

"Especially early in the year, he would get in [the huddle] and start stumbling over himself," tackle Jordan Gross said. "He would have to calm down and call the play again. But that is what we all love about Jake -- his enthusiasm. He's a great leader."

Delhomme is still at that stage where he is more of a leader by example.

"I prepare well and I am going to do whatever I can to win for them," Delhomme said. "When I am out on the field, if it's me trying to throw a block, I'm going to try to throw a block. I may get teased about it the next day in film session, but that's fine with me because I know that they are going to see that I'm trying to do whatever it takes to win."

By season's end, Delhomme had a relatively modest touchdown/interception ratio of 19-16, but the Panthers were 11-5 and then defeated Dallas, St. Louis and Philadelphia in the NFC playoffs.

"He has a knack for finding a way to complete the ball when you think he is going to be sacked, or there is too much pressure, or it's, "Wow, he can't get the ball in there,' or "Why did he throw that ball?"' Panthers wideout Muhsin Muhammad said. "There are a lot of different things people come up with, but he just finds a way to make plays."

Relatively few people outside of those who worked with Delhomme every day could have known that until this past season.

Unlike Brady, who played at the University of Michigan, Delhomme played at Louisiana-Lafayette.

But while Brady was a two-year starter who helped the Wolverines to a 20-5 record in his starts, he wasn't selected until the sixth round of the 2000 draft and threw only three passes as a rookie.

"The things I had done in college warranted a little higher draft pick, but everyone chooses you for different reasons," Brady said. "People saw me and maybe they said, "I really don't think he's very capable, doesn't have the physical skills.' I didn't run fast, and still don't. I think people love arms like Brett Favre and John Elway have, and I don't have one of those. And the quickness of Michael Vick; I certainly don't have that. But I think you have your own skill set and you try to fit into your role as quarterback."